Harry Potter and the Shades of Grey Version Two
by Ravenwood240
Summary: Voldemort is back, the Ministry is denying everything and Dumbledore has been marginalized. Harry is going to have to find help somewhere... even if his enemies and allies are finally united; but only in their mutual dislike of Harry's new friends. This fic is about war, with blood, death and all the interactions of people living on the edge of dying. Rated M for a reason, or two.


_**Harry Potter and the Shades of Grey.**_

_**Ravenwood240**_

_**Chapter One: Midnight Meetings.**_

_Disclaimer: JKR and a bunch of companies own Canon Harry Potter. I make no money from this, have no copyrights and do it only for the fun of making sure that Harry doesn't end up with the unformed blob that is Canon Ginny, whose sole abilities before snogging Harry were getting butter in odd places and being the only magically raised girl stupid enough to write in a diary that talked back to her. Also, my Hermione will never end up turning into Molly Weasley; becoming a stay at home mommy. There is nothing wrong with stay at home mums, for some people, but the Hermione of books 1-5 would never have settled for anything less than everything, career, Supportive husband and family._

_**A/N: **__ Here is the long awaited rewrite of the original SoG. Those of you who read the first one, may note some minor differences. Those of you who have not read it, sorry. When I post this first chapter, the first version will come down. Note to all... There will be character death, even of people that I will spend a great deal of time on, because that's what happens in wars. This AU will be Canon until the end of book four. After that, I will be folding, spindling and mutilating Canon in a thousand ways. Details: I do not update regularly, don't bother asking. This is not beta read, so feel free to point out any grammar errors, plot holes or other errors you may see. This story will deal with some gore, sex and actions that may not be mainstream or appealing to you. Deal with it, offer a reasoned and logical debate or simply hit the back button and find something else. Unsigned reviews will be left on for now. If I have to delete too many of them for obscene or scatological content, I will turn them off. If you have a question, a PM will get an answer, a review might get one. All that said, let's get on with the story, shall we? Last minute thought: The first version of SoG started in seventh year and had Pansy as a main player; I have changed this to fourth year, simply because I hate books six and seven and want to totally ignore them. Also, Pansy will no longer be a main player._

**OoOoO Privet Drive, 04July1995. OoOoO**

Harry Potter woke up from a dream of Professor Binns talking about the Goblin rebellion of 1612 and and wondered why he would be dreaming about that, since the only thing he could remember about that particular rebellion was that it had been head-quartered in Hogsmeade. As he thought about it, he heard a soft knocking coming from his window, apparently the sound that had awoken him. Ho rose from his bed and crossed to the window. Looking out, he saw an owl waiting on him. Curious about who would be writing to him this soon, he opened the window carefully, trying not to make any noise that would wake Vernon.

The owl flew in the room and landed on his desk as he propped the window open. Harry turned and looked at the owl as he came to see what the owl had for him. It was a common Barn owl, he thought, although he'd never seen one that was all black before. Only the yellow eyes and beak relieved the sable hues of the bird. He took the small parchment from the owl and gave it a treat before turning his attention to the folded note. It was addressed to Harry Potter and the outside held no clue as to who it was from. Intrigued, Harry opened it and read.

_To: Harry Potter;_

_I represent a large group of people that would like to speak to you about a matter of some import to us and the wizard world in general, however, for reasons I cannot put in a note this short I am unable to meet with you in person at this time. I have sent a person to put our request forward. She speaks with my voice and authority in this matter._

_We only ask that you meet with her and listen to the proposal with an open mind. You may say yes or no, as you think best after she is done. We would prefer a yes, obviously, but will accept a no, if that is your answer._

_Our delegate is waiting in the small park near your home. Please send the owl back with an answer. She will be waiting until dawn if you can make it tonight. If you are unable or unwilling to meet tonight, send a time and place with the owl and we will be there. You may bring another person if you wish. Our only request is that you not tell any member of the Hogwarts staff until after the meeting. If you tell another about this meeting, be sure you trust them completely, and that they will remain silent until the meeting is over._

_Sincerely,_

_A Hopeful future friend._

Harry read the note twice and stared at it as he thought. Who were this mysterious people and what did they want from him? More importantly, how did they find him? Harry had a dozen unanswered questions in his head as he considered his options. The bit about not telling any member of the Hogwarts staff first made him hesitate. On the one hand, it could be a trap, something the Death Eaters were doing. After a few minutes thought, Harry discarded that idea. If they were this close to him, knew where he was, and could send him an owl, they'd simply burn the entire house down and be on their way.

Harry thought about it for fifteen minutes or so, until the black owl shifted restlessly. He looked at the owl and smiled slightly. "What do you think? Should I go to this meeting?" he asked whimsically.

The owl looked at him for a second and then reached out and grabbed his sleeve in his beak, tugging him toward the window. "You think I should go, then." Harry sighed. He wasn't going to get any more sleep tonight anyway, not with this note in hand. He took out a piece of paper and a Biro.

_Miss,_

_I'll be in the park by 2:15._

_Harry Potter_

He sent the owl off and wrote another short note to Hermione, telling her about the meeting and that if she had not heard from him by dinner the next day, to come investigate or get somebody to do so. Sending that note off with Hedvig, he began getting dressed. Harry took off his pyjamas and got into his one decent set of clothes and checked the sky. Since it rained about half the time, he wanted to make sure he didn't need any rain gear. It didn't look like rain and it wasn't too humid, so Harry didn't bother with a coat. He went downstairs, careful not to hit the creaky stair that Dudley had jumped up and down on so many times when Harry lived in the cupboard. Flipping his invisibility cloak over himself, he went out the kitchen door carefully. Harry went between the roses and the green house and around the end of the greenhouse. There was a small gap there, before the hedges started that he had often used to escape Dudley, since Dudley was far too large to fit through there. Harry crept along the rear gardens of Privet Drive until he reached Number Ten, and went out to the street, looking carefully around for any people. He would have preferred to stay in the back of the houses, but the people at Number Twelve had a large and loud dog, and he wasn't sure he could avoid waking the beast up.

Five minutes later, Harry stopped just outside the park and spent a minute looking for anything out of the ordinary. Not seeing anything, he took the cloak off and stuffed it in his shirt, wrapping it around his waist. He took a deep breathe, made sure his wand was handy and started across the street to the park entrance. As he reached it, he began to wonder how he was going to find the delegate, since while the park was not that large, it was big enough that finding a single person that was trying not to draw attention to themselves could be difficult.

That problem was solved as soon as he entered the park, however. A low musical chime sounded and Harry half drew his wand as he stepped to the side, remaining in the shadows of the pillar that marked the entrance.

Shortly after the chime, and girl came from inside the park, walking slowly and with both hands in plain view. As she stepped into the light of the street lamp, Harry frowned. She seemed vaguely familiar, as if he should know her, but he wasn't certain. He stepped into the light and smiled as she twitched, nearly reaching for her own wand. "Mr. Potter?" she said quietly, and Harry frowned. He knew that voice, he thought, but not who it belonged to.

"Yes, and you are?" Harry said, watching her.

She grinned. "I'm hurt, Potter. We've been in every potions and Defence against the Dark Arts class together for four years." The girl grinned and used her thumb to push her hair back.

Harry stared at her, thinking. He'd seen that habit, dozens of times over the years but he couldn't put a name to the person it belonged to. Seeing his confusion, the girl looked around. "Perhaps we could continue this inside the park? I would like to get under cover, and I do have some responsibilities during this meeting. It would not be good for either of us if some random Death Eater found you with me."

Harry nodded and gestured for her to lead the way. She led him to one of the few tables that Dudley and his gang hadn't destroyed and sat on one side of it. Harry sat on the other side and watched as she pointed her wand at the table and muttered a spell that sounded like "Confundus-something."

"How are you doing magic," he asked, "without worrying about the under-age decree?"

She grinned at him. "Surely, Potter, you have noticed that the Ministry is very corrupt?" Harry nodded and waited. "My family has simply paid the standards bribe to ignore all magic from me."

Harry sighed. "That must be nice, but right now, I would really like to know who you are."

She grinned. "I'm hurt that you don't know me. My name is Sally-Anne Perks, I was the person sorted just before you during our first year."

Harry frowned, thinking back, he remembered hearing Professor McGonagall calling that name, but he simply could not remember anything else about her, not even what House she had gone to. Sally-Anne saw his confusion and began speaking. "Usually, I wear an amulet, one that many of my family uses. It acts as a mild Confundus field, making you not notice me unless we directly interact."

Harry thought about that for a minute. "So the teachers will remember you, as long as you speak to them, as will your friends, but everyone else simply doesn't notice you?" At Sally-Anne's nod Harry sighed wistfully. "I could have really used one of those for the last four years."

Sally-Anne shook her head. "Sorry, but it won't work with you, you're simply too well known to use it. It's only a minor effect."

Harry shrugged and looked at Sally-Anne again. She was short, at least ten centimetres shorter than Harry, with dark brown hair and grey eyes. Harry considered the note and her words since he'd arrived at the park and finally decided to open the discussion. "What do you want from me?"

Sally-Anne sat up straight and looked Harry in the eye. "Mr Potter," she said formally, "The houses of Perks, Rimaldi, Greyfair, Warrington and Montague wish to meet with you to discuss an alliance to defeat the Dark Lord."


End file.
